The country’s drug pricing regulator — National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) — on Monday asked major pharmaceutical companies that have raised grievances against the proposed price fixation of approximately 35 important medicines, to either submit complete data or accept its calculations on the price caps as final. All of these cases involve drug firms not having submitted complete data to the NPPA to support their case.

“It is observed that the companies are not furnishing all the required information/data…Thus, the companies are again requested to furnish all the requisite information/data failing which the NPPA shall not consider their representation and will be constrained to approve the draft working sheet of ceiling/retail price,” the NPPA said in its office memorandum on Monday.

On July 13, the NPPA had issued a draft working sheet where it had proposed a ceiling price for these drugs as per its calculations based on Pharma Trac data. The 35 drugs in the sheet included anti-cancer drugs, anti-HIV drugs, antibiotics, heart medications, respiratory medications etc. Majority of the top companies are involved in production or sale of these medicines. However, it is not clear which pharmaceutical companies have opposed the calculations and price fixations of NPPA.

“All the companies aggrieved by NPPA’s proposed price fixation, may make representation, if any, against the proposed ceiling/retail price by submitting documents/information of Price to Retailer (PTR) and Moving Annnual Turnover (MAT) data along with supporting documents,” the NPPA said in its office memorandum of July 13.

The NPPA then went on to list the supporting documents which companies will need to submit. It asked the companies to submit their representation – along with all the documents — within 10 working days. Since this office memorandum was issued approximately three months back and the companies are yet to send complete responses, the NPPA is now thinking to move forward with whatever data it mentioned in its draft working sheet.